Bruno Massot (born 28 January 1989) is a French-German
pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
coach and former competitor. Competing with
Aljona Savchenko
Aljona Savchenko ( uk, Олена Валентинівна Савченко, ''Olena Valentynivna Savchenko''; German Romanization: ''Aljona Sawtschenko'', sometimes ''Aliona Savchenko''; born 19 January 1984) is a Ukrainian-born German pair ...
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
silver medalist, and two-time German national champion (2016, 2018).
Competing with
Daria Popova
Daria Popova (born 28 July 1993) is a Russian former competitive pair skater. From 2011 to 2014, she competed with Bruno Massot, winning the 2014 Challenge Cup and the 2012 French national title. The pair finished in the top ten at the 2012 and ...
for France, he became the 2014
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000, On 15 April 2015, he announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend, Sophie Levaufre. Their son, Louka, was born on 1 October 2018 in
La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds () is a Swiss city in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometers south of the French border. After Geneva, Lausanne and Fribourg, it is the fourth largest city loc ...
, Switzerland.
On 23 November 2017, the
Deutsche Eislauf-Union
The German Ice Skating Union (german: Deutsche Eislauf-Union, DEU) is the national amateur association for figure skating and ice dancing in Germany. The various German ice sports associations constitute the membership of the DEU; individuals canno ...
announced that Massot would be sworn in as a German citizen in a week.
Career
Early career
Massot began learning to skate in 1996. From the age of seven, he was coached by
Jean-François Ballester
Jean-François Ballester (1 September 1965 – 2 December 2018) was a French figure skating coach. He is best known for his work with Aliona Savchenko / Bruno Massot, who won gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics, 2018 World Championships and 2017 ...
. He competed in
single skating
Single skating is a discipline of figure skating in which male and female skaters compete individually. Men's singles and women's singles are governed by the International Skating Union (ISU). Figure skating is the oldest winter sport contested ...
through the 2006–07 season.
When he was 17 years old, Ballester convinced him to try
pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
. Massot teamed up with Camille Foucher, with whom he won a pair of senior bronze medals at the
French Championships
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
and competed at two World Junior Championships. After their partnership ended, he skated with Anne-Laure Letscher until February 2011.
Massot and
Daria Popova
Daria Popova (born 28 July 1993) is a Russian former competitive pair skater. From 2011 to 2014, she competed with Bruno Massot, winning the 2014 Challenge Cup and the 2012 French national title. The pair finished in the top ten at the 2012 and ...
decided to team up in March 2011 and began serious training in June.
2011–2012 season
Popova/Massot trained mainly in
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Jean-Francois Ballester. In their first season together, they also trained about three weeks every three months with
Ingo Steuer
Ingo Steuer (born 1 November 1966) is a German pair skater and skating coach. With Mandy Wötzel, he is the 1998 Olympic bronze medalist, the 1997 World champion, the 1995 European champion, and a four-time German national champion. As a co ...
in
Chemnitz
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...
, Germany. Popova/Massot's first competition together was the 2011
Master's de Patinage
The Master's de Patinage is an annual figure skating test competition held in September in Villard de Lans, France. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing
Ice dance (sometimes refer ...
, where they won the silver medal. They were tenth in their international debut at the 2011 Coupe de Nice and placed fourth at the
2011 NRW Trophy
The 2011 NRW Trophy was an international figure skating competition during the 2011–2012 season. An annual event organized by the Skating Union of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), it has been sanctioned by the Deutsche Eislauf Union and the Interna ...
. In December 2011, they won the 2012 French national title ahead of Vanessa James / Morgan Cipres.
Visa and administrative delays led to uncertainty about their participation at the 2012 European Championships but the situation was resolved just before the event. Popova/Massot placed sixth in the short program and eighth overall. They were not assigned to the 2012 World Championships, but were part of the French team for the
World Team Trophy The ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating is a figure skating team competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. The World Team Trophy was held for the first time in Tokyo, Japan from April 16 to 19, 2009. Traditionally, the competit ...
.
2012–2013 season
Popova/Massot received two
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
assignments — they placed fifth at the
2012 Skate Canada International
The 2012 Skate Canada International was the second event of six in the 2012–13 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario on October 26–28 ...
and seventh at the
2012 Trophée Eric Bompard
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
. They were second to James/Cipres at the French Championships and then placed seventh at the 2013 European Championships. At the 2013 World Championships, James/Cipres earned two spots for France in the pairs' event at the
Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...
. As France's second-ranked pair, Popova/Massot were in line to receive the second Olympic spot if she received French citizenship in time.
2013–2014 season
Popova had a problem with the sole of one of her boots at the start of the season. She and Massot placed eighth at their first Grand Prix assignment, the
2013 Cup of China
The 2013 Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on November 1–3. Medals were ...
. Popova then ceased training for six weeks due to a stress fracture in the third metatarsal bone of her left foot, causing the pair to withdraw from the
2013 Trophée Eric Bompard
Thirteen or 13 may refer to:
* 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14
* One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013
Music
* 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band
Albums
* ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013
* ...
and
French Championships
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
.
Having resumed training in mid-December 2013, the pair elected to reduce the difficulty of some elements for the 2014 European Championships in January. They finished eleventh at Europeans in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
. On 21 January 2014, it was reported that Popova had not received French citizenship in time and France's second spot would be transferred to Austria. Popova and Massot then went on to place fifteenth at the
2014 World Figure Skating Championships
The 2014 World Figure Skating Championships was an international figure skating competition held in Saitama, Japan, at the Saitama Super Arena from March 24 to 30. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair s ...
after placing fifteenth in both segments of the competition. It was their last competition together.
Teaming up with Savchenko and obtaining his release
On 19 March 2014, Massot was reported to have teamed up with
Aljona Savchenko
Aljona Savchenko ( uk, Олена Валентинівна Савченко, ''Olena Valentynivna Savchenko''; German Romanization: ''Aljona Sawtschenko'', sometimes ''Aliona Savchenko''; born 19 January 1984) is a Ukrainian-born German pair ...
of Germany. The two began training together in April, working to adjust to each other's different technique. They made their first appearance as a pair at the 2014
All That Skate
All That Skate is a figure skating show produced by All That Sports (AT Sports), a sports agency based on Seoul, South Korea set up by 2010 Winter Olympic champion Kim Yuna and her mother Park Mi-hee.
2019 All That Skate
The All That Skate 2019 w ...
shows in South Korea. Because Chemnitz melted its ice rink until nearly the end of August, they trained in
Coral Springs, Florida
Coral Springs, officially the City of Coral Springs, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located approximately northwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. C ...
for two months beginning in mid-July.
Since the ISU does not allow any pairing to compete under two flags, one partner was obliged to change country and could not compete internationally until the previous country granted a release. In July 2014, Savchenko said that she preferred to continue competing for Germany while Massot preferred France. On 29 September 2014, the
Deutsche Eislauf-Union
The German Ice Skating Union (german: Deutsche Eislauf-Union, DEU) is the national amateur association for figure skating and ice dancing in Germany. The various German ice sports associations constitute the membership of the DEU; individuals canno ...
announced that the pair had decided to skate for Germany. In October 2014, Savchenko/Massot started training in
Oberstdorf
Oberstdorf ( Low Alemannic: ''Oberschdorf'') is a municipality and skiing and hiking town in Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. It is the southernmost settlement in Germany and one of its highest towns.
At the&nb ...
, coached by Alexander König.
On 9 June 2015, Massot's mother announced that the Fédération Française des Sports de Glace (FFSG) had refused to release Massot to skate for Germany. He was not allowed to compete or perform in shows until the FFSG released him. Consequently, he lived on 200 euros a month for one and a half years. He considered living in his car but the Deutsche Eislauf-Union stepped in with financial assistance to cover his rent, food, and training expenses, and to find some furniture. On 31 August 2015, the FFSG reportedly demanded a fee of 70,000
euros
The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . T ...
to release Massot, but later agreed to 30,000 euros. He was released to skate for Germany on 26 October 2015.
2015–2016 season
Savchenko/Massot made their debut at the
2015 CS Tallinn Trophy
The 2015 Tallinn Trophy was an international figure skating competition held in November 2015 at the Tondiraba Ice Hall in Tallinn, Estonia. Its senior-level event was part of the 2015–16 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disci ...
, an
ISU Challenger Series
The ISU Challenger Series is a series of international figure skating competitions. Established by the International Skating Union in the 2014–15 season, it is a group of senior-level events ranked below the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. E ...
(CS) event, where they won the gold medal. That was followed by gold at the
2015 CS Warsaw Cup
The 2015 Warsaw Cup was a senior international figure skating competition held in November 2015 in Warsaw, Poland. It was part of the 2015–16 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair ...
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, having placed fourth in the short program and third in the free skate.
2016–2017 season
After taking gold at the
2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy
The 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition held in September 2016 at the Eissportzentrum Oberstdorf. It was part of the 2016–17 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's sing ...
, Savchenko/Massot won both of their Grand Prix events, the
2016 Rostelecom Cup
The 2016 Rostelecom Cup was the third event of six in the 2016–17 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Megasport Arena in Moscow on November 4–5. Medals were award ...
and
2016 Trophée de France
The 2016 Trophée de France was the fourth event of six in the 2016–17 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris on November 11–13. Medals we ...
. On 12 November, Savchenko tore a ligament in her right ankle on the landing of the throw triple Axel during the free skate in France. She decided to continue skating due to the possibility of a medal and being in a partnership, saying "If you were alone you might just throw in the towel, but there is that other half of the pair, who is also competing." She stated, "Luckily, the ligaments were not completely ruptured, but it takes eight to twelve weeks to heal." As a result, the pair withdrew from their December competitions, the
Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies' ...
Ostrava
Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rive ...
, Czech Republic. In April, the pair received the silver medal, behind China's
Sui Wenjing
Sui Wenjing (; born 18 July 1995) is a Chinese pair skater. With partner Han Cong, she is the 2022 Olympic gold medalist, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time world champion (2017, 2019), a three-time world silver medalist (2015, 2016, 2 ...
/
Han Cong
Han Cong (pronounced "Han Tsong") (; born 6 August 1992) is a Chinese pair skater. With partner Sui Wenjing, he is the 2022 Olympic gold medalist, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time world champion (2017, 2019), a three-time world silv ...
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, Finland.
2017–2018 season
Savchenko/Massot began their season with silver at the
2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy
The 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition held in September 2017 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2017–18 ISU Challenger Series. It also served as the final qualification event for the 2018 Wi ...
. Turning to the Grand Prix series, they took silver at the
2017 Skate Canada International
The 2017 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2017–18 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series, held at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan from October 27–29. Meda ...
after placing first in the short program and second in the free skate. Ranked third in the short and first in the free, the pair won gold at the
2017 Skate America
The 2017 Skate America was the sixth event of six in the 2017–18 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held in Lake Placid, New York on November 24–26. Medals were awarded in t ...
. Their results qualified them to the
Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies' ...
in December, which they won.
In November 2017, Massot received German citizenship, allowing the pair to compete for Germany at the
.
Savchenko and Massot withdrew from the European Figure Skating Championships on 12 January, in order to focus their preparations for the Olympics.
After competing in the first part of the team event, Savchenko and Massot competed in the individual pairs event. They placed fourth in the short program after Massot doubled a jump. On 15 February 2018, Savchenko and Massot won the gold medal at the
, with a new world record score of 159.31 in the free skate.
Savchenko and Massot ended the season at the 2018 World Championships in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, where they won their first world title together. They set new personal bests in both the short and free programs, in the process setting new world records for the free skate and combined score. Massot commented: "It was exactly the season that we wanted. We started this season in September and we said, 'we will give our best to win everything.' We didn’t go to Europeans in order to prepare for the Olympics. I think it was a good choice. We realized today that we reached our goal of the season today."
Following their World Championship victory, it was announced that the pair would take an indefinite break from competition.
Coaching career
In the summer of 2018, Massot joined the coaching staff for the Austrian pairs team of
Miriam Ziegler
Miriam Ziegler (born 19 March 1994) is a retired Austrian pair skater. With her skating partner, Severin Kiefer, she is a seven-time Austrian national champion (2014–16, 2018, 2020–22) and represented Austria at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Winte ...
and
Severin Kiefer
Severin Kiefer (born 11 October 1990) is a retired Austrian figure skater. He is a ten-time Austrian national pairs champion (2011–13 with Stina Martini; 2014–2016, 2018, and 2020–22 with Miriam Ziegler) and a three-time national bronze ...
.
Programs
With Savchenko
With Popova
With Foucher
Single skating
Competitive highlights
''GP:
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
''
With Savchenko for Germany
With Popova for France
With Foucher and Letscher for France
Singles career for France
Detailed results
''Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only.''